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The West Bengal Government and the Trinamool Congress today welcomed the order of the Supreme Court entrusting the CBI to probe into the Saradha scam.
According to State Finance and Industries Minister, Amit Mitra, the judgment has in fact praised the working of the Special Investigating Team (SIT), formed by the State Government, to probe the scam.
“We welcome the judgment because we believe in the Constitution; even though it comes just a few days ahead of the final phase of elections on the State,” he said during a press conference at Nabanna (State Secretariat). Mitra is also the party’s national spokesperson.
Interestingly, it was the West Bengal Government which had opposed a CBI probe in its appeal to the Supreme Court.
According to him, a CBI probe was ordered because the SIT was not in a position to probe into the scam in other states like Assam and Odisha or take up money laundering cases.
“I have been told that the Supreme Court has praised the SIT’s functioning into the Saradha scam. I am yet to get the actual copy of the order,” he told reporters adding that the Justice Shyamal Sen Commission has been able to redress the grievances of the four lakh depositors of the Saradha scam.
Onus on Centre
Meanwhile, Mitra has put the onus of the Saradha scam on the Centre and the Left Front.
He claimed that the Trinamool Congress had been “extremely active” in passing a Bill seeking to curb deposit-taking companies and similar money collection schemes in the state. Similarly, steps had also outlined in the Bill to protect depositors’ funds parked with these ponzi operators.
However, the Bill is still pending approval from the Centre.
“We made all the necessary changes that the Centre asked us to do. Even then the Bill is pending Presidential assent,” he said adding that it was now the job of the Centre to redress those duped by ponzi operators.
According to Mitra, the Saradha group started operations in 2006; when the Left Front was in power. Hence, the Left Front too was hand-in-glove with Saradha.
“Why did they not take action then?” he added.
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